Paulo Fonseca refuses to rule out penalties for players who violated a penalty hierarchy in the last game against Fiorentina, insisting he had problems with the team: “I don't give any information about the names of the players.”

Fonseca was still angry after the 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina before the international break.

Tomorrow the Rossoneri host Udinese at San Siro.

“The first day (after last week’s game) was very good. I didn’t see anyone,” Fonseca said at a news conference.

“I was angry and I don't like to see anyone when I'm angry. We worked with the guys from Milan Futuro. International players returned yesterday. Then we talked about the game against Fiorentina and started preparing for Udinese.”

What did he say to his players?

“Anything you can think of. After what happened, it’s normal,” Fonseca replied.

“I don’t close my eyes to problems. I face the problems and look everyone in the eye.”

Milan missed two penalties in Florence, infuriating their coach as the players ignored Christian Pulisic, the designated penalty taker.

“What I think, I say face to face in the locker room. If we have a problem, I will not provide any information about the names of the players,” Fonseca continued.

“The key to leadership is not to look elsewhere when problems arise. That’s what I do – directly, with the team or the players who made a mistake.”

Theo Hernandez missed the first penalty of the first half while Tammy Abraham missed the second after the break. The Englishman received the ball from his compatriot Fikayo Tomori and Fonseca did not rule out putting both players on the bench against Udinese tomorrow.

On the other hand, Theo is suspended after receiving a red card against Fiorentina.

“Let’s see, tomorrow. I think about the team spirit,” said the coach.

“Team spirit is important. Nothing is more important than Milan and we have to take responsibility when we make mistakes. For me it is difficult when someone lacks team spirit. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

“I don’t have to prove anything. I'm not an actor. It's me. I felt this way from day one. Ask the players about it.”

Fonseca is trying to change Milan's tactical approach. Is it harder for him than he thought?

“It is always difficult to change something. We are changing and I have to understand that it is a big change and I have to be more patient,” he admitted.

“We need time to change. We're starting to see something and we have to move on. We don't have a lot of time to train and improve on what I think we need to improve on.

Fonseca refuses to rule out a penalty for Milan's penalty rebels: “I won't admit that…”

“It's all connected. Do you think we lost to Fiorentina because of a tactical problem? For me there was more. I think we didn't have the desire to do more than Fiorentina in the first half. That's part of the mentality. We can work on everything, but for me the most important thing is that we weren't aggressive enough. We had to run more than our opponents and we couldn’t do that.”

Fonseca admitted that he would rotate more often in the next few games. He has not yet decided on Theo Hernandez's replacement. However, youngster Mattia Liberali is one of the options in attack.

“I believe in the young players we have here. Jimenez, Bartesaghi, Zeroli, Liberali, Camarda, Cuenca. “There are a lot of players with high quality,” said the Portuguese.

“I think Milan has created a good space with Milan Futuro because this transition is not easy, especially here in Italy. Milan Futuro was founded to help these players grow. Liberali played pre-season games against Real Madrid and Barcelona. It was clear to me that Liberali had a great future. If he continues to work with humility, he can become an important player. When? I don't know. I know he has worked with us and is a first-class player, but he has to continue on his path and grow. He needs the right time.”

Can Yunus Musah play as a winger? Will Noah Okafor start tomorrow?

“I think I'm lucky to have a player who can cover different roles, but playing as a winger isn't an option at the moment. Okafor is possible, but I don’t know if he will play.”

Who will be Milan captain tomorrow?

“When I arrived, Milan already had three captains. Calabria, Theo and Rafa (Leao) because they are the players with the most games in Milan. I may or may not agree with this, but I respect it. I think this team needs more leadership in the locker room. We need other people who can help these players with leadership. A leader is not just the one who wears the armband; There is much more at stake here and we need that leadership. I think we have other players who can help.

“Every moment and every game is important here. That’s why I don’t think too much long-term,” Fonseca continued.

“The most important game is tomorrow. It's a hard game and I can't think about the other games. It's about tomorrow, so the players have to focus on the next game. All games are crucial here.”

Could Pulisic play in a more central position?

“Yes, also because Pulisic doesn’t play too wide now. He is like an attacking midfielder on the right side. It’s possible,” admitted Fonseca.

“I would like to thank Pochettino for releasing the player for the second game. It wasn't a competitive game and he had the sense to give him a break. I liked his attitude. Other than that, it's the start of the season. If he's tired now, what will we think after 20 games? Christian is in a great time. He is probably the most consistent player. There’s no point in talking about fatigue at this point in the season.”

How does he feel about Emerson Royal? What is his ideal role?

“We saw Emerson playing as a central defender at Tottenham. He covered many positions. I think he can be a defensive full-back, but we haven't used that structure now and if Pulisic plays inside the field, Emerson has the responsibility to play outside. Honestly, I think the right role for Emerson is to be a defensive fullback. Let’s see if we can do it.”

Finally, Fonseca was asked if he had had fun in his first few months at the club.

“I’d like to have more fun,” he replied.

“Being a coach, not just here but in all teams, is not always exciting. We have different moments. It's hard to smile all the time at this level. I know one thing. I bring my passion here every day. I love what I do, but sometimes it's difficult for our families too. I have many difficult moments and others that I really like. As a coach at this level, it's not easy to be the happiest person in the world. Even in difficult moments, it is a happy moment when we solve a problem. Coaches at this level struggle every day.”